Each month, Nordic Watchlist curates the best in film, TV, and literature from across the Nordic region, bringing you our standout picks in one place. Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page is your go-to roundup for the most compelling … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – January | Monthly Roundup
Many might recognise Danish actor Marco Ilsø from his role as Hvitserk in Vikings. His other work includes Wildmen, which is a film we strongly recommend you seek out if you are a fan of the actor. But before doing … Continue reading Danish actor Marco Ilsø discusses working on Viaplay’s biker gang drama ‘Bullshit’
Danish author Lone Theil’s debut crime novel Fatal Crossing (Pigerne Fra England-Båden) from 2015 ticks every box for a screen adaptation. The tale of a London-based Danish journalist, written by a former London-based Danish journalist, lends the book a sense … Continue reading Fatal Crossing – TV Series Review
Mats Steen died when he was just 25 years old. He was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative disease that ultimately robbed him of his life. A keen gamer, his story is told through talking heads and World of … Continue reading The Remarkable Life of Ibelin – Film Review
Whether you’ve seen F.W. Murnau’s silent masterpiece Nosferatu or not, the image of Count Orlok emerging from below the deck of the Demeter is one of the most iconic in cinema history. And whilst we have Robert Eggers take on … Continue reading The Last Voyage of the Demeter – Film Review
Blackwater finally arrives on Channel 4’s Walter Presents with a stacked cast of famous Nordic stars and plenty of hype, having garnered significant praise across Scandinavia. But how does it translate here, and is it any good? The short answer: … Continue reading Blackwater Review – New Walter Presents TV Series
Our first book review of 2025 is Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson. Norway – a picturesque land where crime is virtually non-existent and what little crime there is confined only to the urban surroundings of Oslo. Like the Norse … Continue reading Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson – Book Review
If you haven’t heard of The Girl With The Needle yet then it might be possible you have been either hiding under a rock or need to spend more time on Nordic Watchlist. The Magnus von Horn-directed Danish film has … Continue reading Director Magnus von Horn Discusses The Girl With The Needle
“You’ve done the right thing,” Dagmar Overbye reassures the desperate mothers who hand over their newborns to her for a not insignificant fee. She places a hand on their shoulder, smiles warmly and reassures them that their child will be … Continue reading The Girl With The Needle – Film Review
We are excited to announce what series are on their way in 2025. Here are the new Nordic TV Series for 2025! Here we will feature series that will be available on the BBC, Netflix, Walter Presents/Channel 4, and Viaplay USA and UK. Please note that some … Continue reading New Nordic TV Series for 2025
Thordur Palsson’s The Damned comes to UK Cinemas this week and Nordic Watchlist got the opportunity to speak to the Icelandic director, along with his star Australian actress Odessa Young. Nordic Watchlist: Thordur, Icelandic folklore plays a very significant role … Continue reading Behind the Scenes of The Damned with Thordur Palsson and Odessa Young
For many writers, a sense of place serves as a backdrop—an aesthetic choice that enhances the story. But for author Ørjan Karlsson the landscapes of northern Norway are more than just scenery. They are characters, shaping the people who live … Continue reading Exclusive Interview with Author Ørjan Karlsson
Police procedurals are a staple of Scandinavian television series. There’s usually a detective with a terrible personal life keeping all kinds of anti-social hours, driven to the brink by a case they cannot solve. And whilst that is the case … Continue reading The Breakthrough Review – New Netflix TV Series
“Was it worth it? – There’s no way to answer that – what is freedom worth?” So says veteran Gunnar Sønsteby in response to a student question after delivering his account of life as a Norwegian resistance fighter during the … Continue reading Number 24 – Netflix Film Review
The Stockholm Bloodbath is considered something of a turning point in Scandinavian history. Over the course of three days, in November 1520, more than one hundred executions took place. After battling to become king of Sweden and Denmark, Kristian II … Continue reading Stockholm Bloodbath – Film Review
“There’s madness in its words; There’s sickness in its breath; Beware the Draugr, for its very touch is death.” So goes a snippet of a rhyme that one of the beleaguered townsfolk utters in his sleep during Thordur Palsson’s The … Continue reading The Damned – Film Review
Happy New Year everyone – here we are in 2025 – a very special year for Nordic Watchlist as it turns 5 years old and what better way to start celebrating than to see what amazing titles are being released … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: January Monthly Guide
Here are 10 New Nordic Novels for 2025 2024 proved to be a vintage year for English language releases of Nordic literature and early indications show 2025 to be shaping up to be an equally tantalising year. From first-time translations … Continue reading 10 New Nordic Novels for 2025
While TV and film companies have been falling over themselves to snap up adaptation rights to Nordic novels in 2024, authors have continued to publish new works, be they additions to already popular long-running series or brand-new additions and voices … Continue reading Best Nordic Novels of 2024
It is our annual Top 10 picks where we select our best Nordic films of 2024 – it is important to note that this is based on films that have been released in the UK and are accessible via a … Continue reading Best Nordic Films of 2024
Wherever you look when it comes to streamers in the UK, you’re bound to find a film or series starring the up-and-coming Danish star Vic Carmen Sonne. On the BFI Player you’ll find her earlier hits, 2018’s Holiday and last … Continue reading Introducing Vic Carmen Sonne: Nordic rising star
Another year has passed and it is hard to imagine that at one point we were worried about how many Nordic series would be available to us in the UK, how wrong we were, and how spoilt we got! Here … Continue reading Best Nordic TV Series of 2024
The immigration experience is a subject that often dominates Scandinavian television and films. We are often shown poverty and violence; gang violence and police brutality. Rarely are we shown colour, love, food and family. Kaveh Tehrani’s Listen Up! (Hør her’a!) … Continue reading Listen Up! (Hør her’a!) – Film Review
At this time of year, when you’re faced with sideways rain, gale force winds and seemingly endless darkness, a trip to somewhere sunny sounds like the perfect antidote. Perhaps you’ve even considered the spending time amongst the azure seas, golden … Continue reading La Palma on Netflix: Disaster Meets Family Drama
Who polices the police? The concept of the ‘corrupt cop’ is nothing new and the basis for many books and TV series, but in The Traitor, Jørn Lier Horst’s latest installment in the popular Wisting series, it takes on a … Continue reading The Traitor by Jorn Lier Horst – Book Review
For many people, the Swedish reggae-pop four-piece Ace of Base played a formative part of their youth. Whether it was their first experience of dance music in a club, cheesy pop that was pleasant to listen to in the car … Continue reading Ace of Base Documentary: Behind the Music and Fame
Back in October, Dag Johan Haugerud’s film, ‘Sex’, had its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. It was the first time one of his films had been screened in the UK despite his previous film Barn (Beware The Children) … Continue reading Dag Johan Haugerud’s Film ‘Sex’: Exploring Sexuality and Identity
There’s an effortless romance often associated with biker gangs on screen. The open road, the faded denim, the sense of community. But that’s not the approach that director and series co-creator Milad Alami has taken to Bullshit, Viaplay’s new six-part … Continue reading Bullshit – Viaplay’s Danish biker gang series review
Here we go – our final Nordic New Releases post for 2024! What a year it has been and it certainly has not finished yet with a whole bundle of new series, films, and books being released. FILMS & TV … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: December Monthly Guide
Christmas can be the most magical time of year. Full of tradition and warmth, it can often be a time for reflection, too. And, if you’re dealing with grief or loss in any way, memories of Christmas past may bubble … Continue reading The Snow Sister – Film Review
